Palio Fever, But We Are Hastening the Work Nonetheless

There are two great events that occur annually in Siena, and they both involve the famous horse races, or the Palio.  On July 2 of each year the contrade (or neighborhoods) run the Palio di Provenzano in the Piazza del Campo in honor of the Madonna of Provenzano, who has a church built in the city in her name.  Then, again on August 16 of each year, the race is run once more, and is called the Palio dell'Assunta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  In fact, the Senese people say that as soon as the August 16 race is completed, winter is here.  They mean that there is nothing to look forward to until Christmas, and the Palio races of the next year.

We soaked in the full experience of the Palio in July, attending some of the trial runs the days before the big race.  And then we experienced everything on race day.  In August, we had some important appointments with members outside the city, so we decided to take in the blessing of the horses at one of the churches, and the march of all the contrade into the Duomo square where each contrada's flag bearers perform for the bishop of Siena.

The Drago (Dragon) contrada won the race in July.  Here are a few shots of the blessing of the horse on the day of the race.  This particular contrada's church is San Domenico, and the blessing takes place right outside the church.  In ancient days (and even in some contrade today), they actually take the horse into their parish church to be blessed.

The horse arrives for the blessing by the priest

The Dragon contrada encircles the horse

After taking in the blessing, we hiked up to the Duomo with a few of our members to watch the flag bearers do their thing.  All seventeen contrade (even though only ten get to run in the actual race) march into the square and perform for the bishop.  It is amazing to watch them throw their flags high into the air and catch them, with hundreds of people crowded around.

Here are a few shots of the flags of the various contrade.

One of the BYU students came back to town with her mother and her sister just to see the Palio.  However, they brought their backpacks to the square, and they were told that they would not be able to take them into the Piazza del Campo for the actual running of the Palio.  Since we had to leave anyway, we did our big act of service in taking three very large backpacks down from the city center to our church so that they could enjoy this "once in a lifetime" experience.  Our backs and hips felt the effects of this act of service for a few days thereafter.

Our district saw quite a few changes this last transfer.  We received two new missionaries here in Siena, and one of our Zone Leaders left and needed to be replaced.  So we snapped a shot of our new district just outside our Firenze chapel after a recent district meeting.

Sisters Remund, Hamblin, Jarvis and Andromidas
Bonnie
Elders Taylor, Kekoolani, Reese and Garner

The district enjoying Bonnie's peach pie

This past Monday for Family Home Evening Bonnie taught about the importance of performing acts of service.  At the conclusion of a short lesson, we all walked into town to one of the rest homes where one of our members has been confined for a few years now.  Our wonderful sister missionaries visit Francesca often, but this time we took all our missionaries, a few members and one investigator with us to visit Francesca and to sing a few hymns with her.  She doesn't always remember everything these days, but when she was younger she came to church and FHE often, and she loved music.  So whenever we sing the songs of Zion, her face lights up and she remembers. 

Our RS President, Sister Feri, loving Francesca
with our Sisters and an investigator looking on

Yesterday after doing some home teaching in the morning, we went with two of our member families on a picnic out in the country.  We enjoyed a nice day together, and we did more home teaching out in the fresh air.  After lunch, a few of us played on the little kids' toys, and then we went into town for some gelato.  There isn't anything better than Italian gelato!

Santina, Lucy, Simone, Davide, Guerrino, Darryl and Bonnie

Mother and Daughter on the Teeter-Totter

Santina slides down the slide

Santina and Bonnie

Davide and his nutella crepe

In fact, the evening before we took our Sister missionaries with us to Castellina in Chianti to teach a few lessons to some members who are trying to become more active.  We had a great lesson, and a great spirit.  This mother and daughter then offered us some cake and drinks.  You can't refuse, so we partook.  But as we left, Darryl, who had talked about buying some gelato after the lessons, turned to the sisters and asked if they had any room for gelato after just having some great refreshments at the lesson.  Both sisters, almost in unison, said that there is always room for gelato, and they were afraid that the offer might be off the table since we just ate some goodies.  Darryl smiled, and we all ate gelato!

August is coming to a close, and with that, we hope to see many of our members return from their vacations and join us for worship services on Sunday.  We continue to address the needs of our members, our missionaries and our investigators, as well as work on some special assignments from the mission.

Speaking of special assignments, we received a call from the Mission Office asking us to go to Firenze and report on a flood that occurred when a hose to a missionary's washing machine broke and flooded the business that was below them on the ground floor.  Because everyone closes down in the middle of August, the business was closed and probably didn't discover the damage for days.  It was not a pretty sight.  But, thankfully we have had some experience with water damage, apartments, contracts, and the like in our past life, so we were able to help out and hopefully mitigate some of the loss. 

Bella Toscana - God's Gift to Mankind!

There are some jobs in the church that just have to be done, no matter how difficult or boring.  And we suppose one of those is trying to find a great spot for a branch picnic somewhere in the Toscana countryside.  Someone had to draw the short straw and go around our region in search of such a place, and it looks like we drew that short straw.   Oh well, it just has to be done!

So we hopped into our trusty little Opel Meriva and went to find the perfect spot.  And here are a few shots of the countryside that we were forced to drive through.

As we were driving in the very rural parts of the Toscana, surrounded by olive groves, vineyards, and fields of all types of crops, we were very surprised to drive around a bend and see two very large, and very strange sculptures.  We aren't sure what they are doing, but I guess they are hiding from each other or they have fallen in love with a tree.

Here is the plaque that accompanies these sculptures.  It seems a Chinese artist felt this was the best spot to exhibit has work.

The sculptures are called "Metropolitan Ostriches"

We didn't find the right place this day, so we enrolled the help of a couple of our members who said they knew some great places for a branch picnic.  We loaded them in the car on Saturday and let them show us around.

Here are some of the places they showed us.  So many great places to choose from!

Lucy and Francesca helping us find good picnic spots

This past week we said goodbye to two of our seasoned missionaries, Sister Roth and Elder Axson.  (See last week's blog.)  And we have now been blessed to receive a sister right off the plane from the MTC, Sister Remund who hails from Midway, Utah; as well as another experienced Elder, Elder Garner from Mesa, Arizona, who will be finishing his mission here with us in Siena over the next few months.

Elder Garner joining Elder Reese in Siena

Sister Remund and Sister Andromidas get off the train

On Saturday we took the Sisters to Poggibonsi where we were able to make three visits to some of our wonderful members who don't come to church all that often.  It is wonderful to visit them in their homes and leave a message and a prayer.  We are always encouraging our members to make the changes necessary to receive the full blessings of the gospel in their lives.  But we acknowledge that the choice is always theirs to make; thanks to the great gift of agency that our Heavenly Father has given to all his children.

Because we had two new missionaries join us this week, we decided to have a missionary coordination luncheon at our apartment on Sunday after church.  Darryl made his now famous Penne Senese alla Presidente Lee, and Bonnie prepared a classy apple tart using Kristine's yummy tart crust!  They enjoyed it all!

Elders Reese and Garner, Bonnie, Sisters Andromidas and Remund

 August is really the month where most Italians simply leave the heat and humidity of the city and escape to the beach or the mountains.  We had only 12 members in church last Sunday.  But August will pass, and we will continue pressing forward, with an eye single to the glory of God.

Notwithstanding the dog days of summer, we do believe in miracles, and our sister missionaries had two miracles today.  First, this morning they met with an investigator and Sister Remund, who has been in Italy only five days, challenged this good sister to be baptized.  And she accepted!!

Then, we took the sisters to Roccastrada, a town about an hour's drive from Siena, where we ate lunch with a member, her husband and their 4 year-old son, and Eunice, a good friend who the sisters have been teaching.  After lunch, while Darryl was keeping the 4 year-old occupied in the living room with all sorts of fun games, the sisters, Bonnie and Doris taught Eunice another lesson.  This time, Sisters Andromidas and Remund gave Eunice the challenge to follow Christ's example and be baptized.  And Eunice accepted the challenge.  Two baptismal dates set in one day!  Miracles!!  

Bonnie with Sisters Andromidas and Remund, with Eunice who just agreed to be baptized
Daniele and Doris, our members, look on with big smiles

The sisters basking in joy as we walk down the ancient road near Doris' house

We are grateful for this chance to serve the Lord full-time in Italy, with such great young missionaries and strong members. 

And the Saints Go Marching On!

We are working hard with a mother and her adult daughter who haven't been to church for many years.  They live about a half an hour outside of Siena, in a beautiful hilltop town in the middle of the Chianti region.  The mom is in her seventies, and still works taking care of a woman who is in her nineties.  Longevity reigns here in Italy.  It must be the fresh fruits and vegetables, the pasta, and the olive oil.  (Some also say its the red wine, but who knows.)

We are meeting with the mom, while the sister missionaries are working with her 40-year-old daughter.  The daughter has been through some very rough times in her life, but she is now realizing that she felt the happiest when she was young and she attended church regularly with her mom.  She wants to feel that spirit again.  She has many things to overcome, but as we say in Italy, "piano piano" (slowly, slowly) she can make the changes.  The Lord will help her, and will help all of us, if we submit our wills to his and allow him to shoulder the burden with us.

We try to have our four missionaries over to our apartment for lunch at least one Sunday during the six-week transfer cycle.  (Sometimes more, if they are lucky.)  This time we decided to feed them a good old-fashioned American lunch, with BBQ pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, potato salad, and all the fixings.  We think they enjoyed it.  We also do some missionary correlation during these luncheons.

Sisters Andromidas and Roth, Bonnie, and Elders Reese and Axson

We hold a branch family home evening every Monday at the church for those members who don't have families and/or who live close enough to Siena to come and enjoy a fun get-together.   Once a month we celebrate the birthdays of all the members who have birthdays in that month.  It is a great excuse to get people together, enjoy some snacks, and do some fellowshipping.

Bonnie slaving over the stove, and Eugenia, who comes to English class
enjoying the pause that refreshes

Two investigators, Angela and Roberto, with Elders Axson and Reese

Sisters Roth and Andromadis with Eugenia at FHE

Brother Rotelli, the rock of our branch, enjoying a bite

We have been keeping a secret for quite a long time now for one of our wonderful members.  She hasn't been able to come to church for about three months now, and the other members thought that she was too busy with her final exams and thesis for her masters program. 

Lorena and Bonnie

But, as parents of five children, who all have had pregnancies of their own, we knew that it was a little more than that.  Lorena is pregnant!  We are so excited for her!  Her little one will make a grand entrance into this world in January 2015.  We haven't been able to add to the small numbers of our branch through convert baptisms, so I guess we will have to do it this way.

Lorena has finally told our other members about her great news, so the secret is out.  She is still suffering some from the travails of pregnancy, so we have been over to her home a number of times, and Bonnie has prepared some of the bland foods that Lorena can tolerate.  Darryl, on the other hand, has tried to keep her laughing, so she can keep her mind off the nausea.

We visited the Gori family this past week.  It was Chiara's 20th birthday, so Bonnie took out her famous apple cake with caramel topping, and we celebrated big time!

An older picture, Darryl, Sister Gori, Sisters Boscia and Roth, and Chiara

In the mission field, the only constant is change.  We have some big changes happening this week with our missionaries.  First, Sister Roth, who has been with us for about six months, and who only has six weeks left in her mission, is being transferred to Alessandria as a Sister Training Leader.  She has been a very hard worker here, and this will give her an opportunity to share what she has learned with all the sisters in two zones up north before she hangs it all up and boards the big bird for her return trip to the United States.  We will miss her!

Our District, that is now changing big time!
Elders Keekolani, Reese, Axson, Giles and Lee
Sisters Lee, Roth, Hamblin, Jarvis and Andromidas

Sister Roth just opened her "Going Home" letter

It is titled "Release Bulletin"

Her companion, Sister Andromadis, will be training a brand new sister who arrives today from the MTC.  We still don't know her name yet.  Sister Andromadis needs to travel up to Milano tonight, and tomorrow she will meet with all the new trainers and all the new missionaries.  President and Sister Dibb and the office staff will train them all, and then they will reveal who goes where.  It will be exciting to pick them up tomorrow night at the train station, when they return tired but happy, ready to hit the ground running with new blood and new ideas.  This will be our third "greenie" here in Siena.  We love watching these brand new missionaries grow.

Elders Keekolani, Giles, Reese and Axson

Also, our District Leader, Elder Axson, who has also been with us about six months, has been transferred.  He is heading way up north to the small town of Trento.  He will have to learn some German now.  Elder Axson is about 6'6", and his replacement, Elder Garner, who is coming down from Lecco, is almost as tall.  We have had a string of very tall elders serve with us here in Siena.  We have enjoyed having Elder Axson here, and we will miss him as well.

Because these two missionaries are leaving Siena, we had a special family home evening earlier this week where we had a branch dinner to celebrate their work and to wish them well.  Some of their investigators came, as well as a member who hasn't been to church for many years.  Her son was up from a city down south, and he was able to convince her to come.  The ice is now broken, and we hope to continue the dialogue with her and help her feel welcome to come and worship with us.

Members, Investigators and Missionaries enjoying dinner at the church

One last group photo before Sister Roth and Elder Axson depart

August is here, and many Italians have headed off the beach or to the mountains to get away from the heat and humidity of the summer.  This summer, however, has been different.  It has rained a lot, and it hasn't been quite as hot.  But it still is very muggy, and Darryl really hates the humidity.  But we put on a smile and more deodorant, and move forward, . . . because the saints go marching on!

The summer does bring out the visitors to Siena, so we do have many Sundays when the visitors outnumber the members.  Here are a few shots from a couple of different Sundays during this summer.

Sundays in Siena

And while we are serving here, the earth is moving at home, . . . literally.  Yesterday we learned of a massive mudslide just a few blocks above our home in North Salt Lake.  One home has been destroyed, and others are at risk.  So far our home, and Bonnie's Mom's home near us, are fine.  We hope and pray for the safety of all our friends and neighbors at home, and that is about all we can do from here. 

Our house is down below a bit, but it did take out part of our Tennis Club

 Challenges come to us all, and it is how we deal with those challenges that define us.  May the tender mercies of the Lord be with all of us as we move forward, marching to the beat of the gospel!